Prevalence of disability and associated social and health-related factors among the elderly in Spain: a population-based study

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of disability and its association with morbidity and other social and health-related factors among Spain’s non-institutionalized elderly population. Methods: Cross-sectional survey, by home-based personal interview, covering a sample of 4000 subjects representative of the non-institutionalized Spanish population aged 60 years and over. The relationship between disability and social and health-related study variables was studied using logistic regression. Results: A total of 72.9% of subjects reported some type of disability: 59.1% in agility, 51.6% in mobility, 40.1% in instrumental activities and 19.1% in activities of daily living. After adjusting for all relevant variables, disability showed to be significantly more frequent for: female gender (OR=1.83; 1.53–2.19); more advanced age (OR=4.54; 3.27–6.32); low/no educational level (OR=2.01; 1.67–2.42); deteriorated cognitive status (OR=1.67; 1.24–2.23); at least two chronic diseases (OR=2.54; 2.01–3.20); poor perceived health status (OR=3.02; 2.48–3.69); little physical activity (OR=2.57; 1.94–3.42); and greater use of hospital care (OR=1.34; 1.10–1.64). Conclusions: Prevalence of disability among Spain’s non-institutionalized elderly population is very high. This might be explained by a greater number of chronic diseases, a higher percentage of subjects with low educational level and a higher proportion of community-dwelling elderly persons than in Anglo-Saxon countries.